Twelve years have passed since the young Dutch women Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon ventured down a path from which they never returned. Every April, the story resurfaces. The case continues to generate debate and questions. Betzaida Pitti, the prosecutor in the case, said in one of her last interviews that her theory is that the young women got lost after making the imprudent decision to venture down a challenging trail without the help of a guide. According to the former prosecutor, the hypotheses related to a kidnapping or homicide were ruled out when all of their belongings were found intact, including money, glasses, and underwear. Although it may seem incredible to some that they were lost in the jungle for more than 10 days, Pitti emphasizes that they were two athletic young women. The investigator reinforces her hypothesis with the fact that the girls’ cell phone was active for 11 days after their disappearance was reported. The first traces date back to April 1, 2014, and the last time the device was turned on was April 11, at 11:56 a.m. Then they found a backpack with photos taken at night and working cell phones. The details of Pitti’s research are reflected in the work: “Lost in the Jungle,” in which she worked together with the Dutch writers Marja West and Jürgen Snoeren. Kris, 21, loved hiking, and Lisanne, 22, played soccer. Climbing mountains is very dangerous. I climbed them three times, and on one occasion, I spent more than six hours dehydrated. I had water and food with me. What I mean is, it is a dense mountain range with dangerous animals. What is the most formal explanation? Along the way, new hypotheses emerge. Theories come and go. Books have been written, series have been produced, and numerous podcast episodes have been aired on the subject, all of them attempting to unravel the enigma. In 2023, journalists Mariana Atencio and Jeremy Kryt explored these details in a podcast. Its name is “Lost in Panama” and it consists of seven episodes in English, each lasting between 50 minutes and one hour. In the podcast produced by Kast Media, sources who are said to have a relationship with those involved in the incident break their silence, suggesting that what was closed as a hiking accident could be a double femicide. “There were things that didn’t add up. Many forensic experts were not allowed to do their work at various points in the government investigation,” the journalist adds. In addition, other works have been published on the case, such as “The Diabolical Hand: The Disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon,” “Disappeared in Panama: The True Tragedy of the Pianist Trail,” “The Mysterious Case of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon,” and “Panama Cold Case: The Puzzling Disappearance of Kris Kremers and Lisanne Froon.” These publications attempt to address a question that still seems to have no clear answers. Beyond Pitti’s theory, some argue that other elements were overlooked or remain hidden. For example, only a few remains of the young women were found, 1% of one and 13% of the other. In addition, experts found attempts to call emergency numbers in the Netherlands. “The girls didn’t consider the consequences of going in without a guide,” Pitti explained in her last news interview in 2022. “Many people disagreed with me, but they were immediately lost. That didn’t make sense to me,” Atencio explained. Since then, the case has generated interest from many quarters.
